Machine for breaking strands or filaments of alimentary paste



June 14, 1955 A FAVA 2,710,583

MACHINE FOR BfiEAKING STRANDS 0R FILAMENTS OF ALIMENTARY PASTE FiledMarch 19, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Aucus 1-0 FA VA BY W,# *1 a.

A G- ENJ'S June 14, 1955 A FAVA 2,710,583

MACHINE FOR BiREAKING STRANDS OR FILAMENTS 0F ALIMENTARY PASTE FiledMarch 19, 1953 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmvrox. A UGUST 0 FA VA Bi /5% Mvd.

AGENTS June 14, 1955 A; FAVA Y 2,710,583

MACHINE FOR BREAKING STRANDS OR FILAMENTS OF ALIMENTARY PASTE 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 19, 1953 INVENTOR- v AUGUSTO Ffll A W M v C'oAGE/v73- United States l atent O f MACHINE FOR BREAKING STRANDS ORFILAMENTS F ALIMENTARY PASTE Augusto Fava, Milan, Italy ApplicationMarch 19, 1953, Serial No. 343,473

Claims. (Cl. 107-7) The invention relates to a device for breakingstrands or filaments of alimentary paste and more particularly to anautomatic machine for breaking elongated strands of alimentary pastewhich have been dried and laid out on canes, such breaking beingeffective after previous automatic extraction of said canes from saidpaste.

The problem is that packaging of strands of alimentary paste or dough,such as, spaghetti and the like, requires a length thereof that is aboutthe half of that with which it is produced, for technical reasons.

Heretofore, the solution of this problem required a first operation oftaking the paste from the canes over which it is laid or hung during thedrying stage, and a subsequent operation of cutting it with mechanicaldisc saws. These operations are very burdensome because recourse must behad to the use of much labour for removing the paste from the canes,collecting it in stock and eventually grouping it in bundles to be cut.Moreover, during the various steps of handling inevitably waste iscaused.

' It is an object of the invention to dispense with all these manualoperations by providing a device for taking up and forwarding the canessupporting the strands of paste and for laying the paste filaments orstrands out on a table where they are broken after previous extractionof said canes.

The machine embodying the invention may be operated alone, the canesbeing loaded by hand into a device provided for this purpose, or it maybe coupled with an automatic dryer'at its outlet. In this way the doubleadvantage is attained of reducing labour and of reducing waste as well.

The structure and operation of the machine according to the presentinvention will be apparent in the following description with referenceto the accompanying drawings where one embodiment of the machine is,shown by way of example:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, sectional ,view of the machine taken along theline 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the machine, with the outer casingthereof being removed. 1

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show the punch used in the machine of the invention intwo stages of its operation.

Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 diagrammatically illustrate various stages ofoperation embodying the machine of the invention.

The machine illustrated in the drawings includes two sturdy metal sideframes 1 spaced from each other sufficiently so that the canes 2carrying the strands or filaments of paste can pass through betweenthem. The side frames serve to support all moving members of themachine. A motor 3 transmits motion by way of pulleys 4 and 5 and a belt6 to a shaft 7 journalled in the side frames 1. On the same shaft 7there are secured two sprockets 8 in the proximity of the side frames.Each of the sprockets 8 is in driving engagement with a continuous chain9 which passes over the idler sprockets 10, 11, 12

and 13 to follow a closed path which is hereinafter described in detail.A carrier 14 is secured to each of the 2,710,583 Patented June 14, 1955'ice chains 9 and serves to individually pick up the canes loaded withstrands of paste from a magazine 15 and to carry the engaged cane alongthe path of the chain while supporting the cane at its opposite ends.

A metal track 16 follows a portion of the path of the chain 9 to preventremoval of the canes from the carriers 14 during movement of the latteralong the tracks 16, that is, from the time the individual cane ispicked up from magazine 15 until the cane is dropped from the carriersinto a collecting receptacle 18.

A sprocket 19 fitted onto shaft 7 is coupled by way of a chain 20 to asprocket 21 mounted on a shaft 22. On the same shaft 22 is fitted also aspecial wheel 23 which is toothed over two thirds of its circumferenceand carries a smooth projection over the remaining one-third. With itstoothed portion the wheel 23 meshes with a related spur gear 24 carryingtwo axially extending pins 25 for slidable contact with the smoothprojection of the wheel 23. The gear 24 is fitted on the shaft 26 whichextends through both of the side frames 1 carrying its supportingbearings 27. At the two ends of the shaft 26 there are fitted two cranks28, which by way of connecting rods 29 convert rotation of shaft 26 intoreciprocating vertical motion of a punch 30.

A horizontal plate 31 extends from one side frame 1 to the other of themachine, having a width at least equal to the length of the pastefilaments.

A laterally extending blade 32 extends upwardly through table 13 and theprojection of the blunted top edge of the blade above the table isadjustable by means of the handwheels 33. On said table 31 there is aplate 34 projecting upwards along the border or edge of the tableclosest to magazine 15.

At the two sides of the table 31 the two guide members or tracks 16follow the chains 9 as far as the points 36 whereafter they becomespaced from the chains so as to permit the canes to leave the carriers14.

In Figures 3 and 4 it will be seen how punch works to break the pastefilaments 35. The projection of blade 32 from the table 31 should beconveniently adjusted by means of the handwheels 33 (Fig. 1) so that thestrands or filaments are raised above the table surface at their centersand are there broken over the upper edge of blade 32 by the downwardpressure of punch 30 on the strands in front and back of the blade.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawings, it will be seen that the sprockets8, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are so arranged that the chains 9 follow acontinuous path having a straight vertical run extending from sprocket 8to sprocket 10 upwardly past the magazine 15. From the sprocket 10 eachchain 9 follows a downwardly inclined path to the sprocket 11 which isdisposed above the front. edge of table: 31. Sprocket 12 is disposed atsubstantially the same level as sprocket 11 but in back of the lattersothat the chain 9 moves rearwardly from sprocket 11 to sprocket 12 overthe upper surface of table 31. Sprocket 13 which is disposed rearwardlyof sprocket 12 is located at a relatively high level so that chain 9travels along an upwardly inclined run between the sprockets 12 and 13and, after passing over the latter sprocket, travels downwardly to thesprocket 8. As previously noted, the tracks 16 extend from a locationimmediately above magazine 15 to a location above the rear edge of table31 and are effective to hold the individual rods or canes 2 against thechains 9 to be propelled by the carriers 14 even during the movement ofthe carriers along the portion of the path between sprockets 11 and 12,where the canes 2 are disposed below the chains 9. As seen in Fig. 1,the terminal portions of the tracks 16 are inclined downwardly away fromthe path of the chains between the sprockets Hand 13, as at 36, so thatwhen the car-v riers reach the terminal portions of the tracks 16, thecane or rod engaged thereby is free to drop into the collectingreceptacle 13. Further, as seen in Fig. l, a curved defiecting shield 17extends laterally between the side frames 1 of the machine in back ofthe rear edge of table 31 with the curved upper portion of the shieldextending well above the level of the table.

From the previous description of the mechanism for elfecting thevertical reciprocation of punch 30, it is apparent that suchreciprocation is effected intermittently in timed relationship to themovement of the chains 9 driven by the sprockets 8. Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8 and9 of the drawings diagrammatically illustrate successive stages in theoperation of the described machine and specifically indicate therelationship between the movement of the chains 9 and the reciprocationof the punch 30.

During the first phase of operation of the machine illustrated in Fig.5, the carriers 14 on the chains 9 move upwardly with the latter fromthe sprockets 8 to the sprockets 10 thereby to pick up a cane or rod 2having strands or filaments of paste suspended therefrom. While thecarriers 14 are moving upwardly toward the sprockets 10, the smoothprojection of wheel 23 engages the pins 25 on gear 24 to position thelatter for holding or maintaining punch in its elevated position. As thecarriers 14 and the cane 2 move downwardly along the inclined chain pathbetween the sprockets 10 and 11, as shown in Fig. 6, the lower endportion of the strands of paste suspended from the cane or rod engageagainst the shield 17 whereby the strands of dough are swung about thecane 2 toward a horizontal disposition. As the cane 2 moves downwardlytoward the sprocket 11, the smooth projection of wheel 23 is disengagedfrom the pins 25 of gear 24 and the toothed portion of wheel 23 thenmeshes with the gear 24 to begin the downward stroke of punch 30. As thecane 2 is moved around the sprockets 11 by the carriers 14, as shown inFig. 7, the free ends of the strands of paste or dough move over theupper edge of shield 17 and come to rest on the table 31 adjacent therim or upstanding flange 34 along the rear edge of the table. When thecane is then moved rearwardly over table 31 by movement of the carriersbetween the sprockets 11 and 12, as shown in Fig. 8, the ends of thestrands of paste engage against the rim or flange 34 at the rear edge ofthe table so that rearward movement of the strands of paste is preventedand the cane or rod 2 is moved out from between the strands of dough.During the phases of operation illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the punch30 continues its downward stroke toward the table 31, and, after thecane or rod 2 has been moved out from between the strands of paste,punch 30 completes its downward stroke and bears downwardly upon thestrands of dough at opposite sides of the blade 32 projecting slightlyabove the upper surface of table 31. This downward bearing of the punch34) serves to break the strands of dough across the blunted upper edgeof blade 32, as distinguished from the cutting action heretoforeemployed.

During the final downward movement of punch 30, as illustrated in Fig.9, the cane or rod 2 is carried or propelled along the upwardly inclinedrun of the chain between the sprockets 12 and 13 past the terminalportion 36 of the tracks 16 where the cane or rod is released and isfree to drop into the collecting receptacle 18. The carriers 14 thenmove downwardly from the sprockets 13 to the sprockets 8 for return tothe positions occupied during the initial phase of operation, and duringthis return movement of the carriers, the punch 30 is again elevated, orstroked upwardly, and the broken strands of paste can then be manuallyremoved from the surface of table 31. When the punch 30 has beenreturned to its elevated position, the smooth projection of wheel 23again comes into engagement with the pins 25 on gear 24 thereby to holdthe punch in its elevated position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the described deviceautomatically removes the successive canes 2 from the magazine 15, laysthe strands of paste or dough across the table 31 over the blade 32,removes the supporting cane or rod from between the strands of paste,and then breaks the strands of dough or paste across the blade 32thereby to avoid waste of the paste or dough and to minimize the manualoperations required for preparing such products for packaging.

While an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described indetail herein, and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to this precise embodiment,and that various changes and modifications may be effected thereinwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for breaking elongated strands of alimentary paste aftersuch strands have been dried and suspended from supporting canes; saidmachine comprising a horizontal table having a length at least as largeas the lengths of the strands suspended from the canes and a width atleast as large as the lengths of the canes, a laterally extending bladeprojecting above the upper surface of said table at substantially thecenter of the latter, a laterally extending punch reciprocatablevertically above said blade and having spaced lower edge portionsengageable in front and in back of said blade when said punch is strokeddownwardly toward said table, means for conveying the supporting caneshaving strands of paste thereon one at a time over said table to lay thestrands of paste longitudinally on the table and across the upper edgeof said blade and then to remove each cane from the supported strands,and means actuating said conveying means and said punch to hold thelatter in an elevated position during laying of the strands of paste onthe table and removal of the cane and then to stroke the punchdownwardly toward the table thereby to break the strands of paste acrosssaid upper edge of the blade.

2. A machine according to claim 1; wherein said table has an upstandingfixed rim along the rear, laterally extending edge thereof, and alaterally extending shield is disposed in back of said table and extendsto a level above that of the upper edge of said rim; and wherein saidconveying means includes two parallel chains moving in laterally spacedapart vertical planes at the opposite sides of said table, said chainshaving laterally aligned carriers thereon for engagement with theopposite ends of a cane to propel the latter with said chains, each ofsaid chains following a closed path including an upwardly movingvertical run to the rear of said shield and extending above the level ofthe upper edge of said shield a distance less than the lengths of thestrands suspended from the cane, a forwardly and downwardly inclined runextending from said upwardly moving vertical run to a location above andadjacent the front edge of said table, a rearwardly moving run extendingfrom said downwardly inclined run over said table and then into anupwardly inclined section passing over said rim, and a downwardly movingrun from said upwardlly inclined section to the lower end of saidupwardly moving vertical run, and track means extending along said pathsof the chains from the upper portion of said upwardly moving verticalrun to a location intermediate said upwardly inclined section andoperative to hold a cane in engagement with said carriers duringmovement of the latter along the related portions of said paths so thata cane having strands of paste suspended therefrom and taken-up by saidcarriers along said upwardly moving vertical run is carried up and oversaid shield and then forwardly to a location over the front edge of saidtable whereby the free ends of the strands slide over said shield andthen drop onto said table in front of said rim, with the cane beingremoved rearwardly between the free ends of the strands by movement ofthe carriers along said rearwardly moving run and then dropping from thecarriers at the end of said track means to again condition said carriersfor the reception of a loaded cane at said upwardly moving vertical run.

3. A machine according to claim 2; wherein said carriers are projectionsextending outwardly from the related chains so as to depend from thelatter during movement along said rearwardly moving run and upwardlyinclined section, and said track means consists of a lateral stripparallel to, and spaced outwardly from, the related portions of saidchain paths so that each cane is gravitationally removed from thecarriers at the end of said track means.

4. A machine according to claim 2; wherein said actuating means includesa motor, a drive sprocket engaging each of said chains, transmissionmeans between said motor and drive sprockets for continuously rotatingthe latter, a wheel, means transmitting the rotation of said drivesprockets to said wheel, means transmitting the rotation of said drivesprockets to said wheel, said wheel having a gear sector along a portionof the circumference thereof and a smooth arcuate radial projectionalong the remainder of said circumference, a drive gear disposed to meshwith said gear sector and having two spaced axial pins projectingtherefrom for sliding engagement by the periphery of said radialprojection whereby said drive gear is intermittently rotated and is heldimmobile during the periods between the intermittent rotation thereof,and means for converting rotation of said drive gear into reciprocationof said punch.

5. In a machine having a horizontal table and mechanism for laying driedstrands of alimentary paste'across the table after the strands have beensuspended-from a 1 supporting cane and for removing the cane from thestrands laid across the table; a device for breaking the strands laidacross the table comprising a bladeextending laterally with respect tothe strands and projecting upwardly through the table above the surfaceof the latter, a punch laterally coextensive with said blade and havinga central longitudinal groove in the lower edge thereof in verticalregistration with said blade, and means for vertically reciprocatingsaid punch between a raised position and a lowered position in which theportions of the lower edge of the punch at opposite sides of the grooveextend below the upper edge of said blade thereby to break the driedstrands of alimentary paste over said upper edge of the blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

